Author: Lori Lynn

FROZEN Halibut? You bet.

Panko Crusted Wild Alaskan Halibut Steak (Previously Frozen)
Shiso Red Jalapeño Ponzu Sauce
Baby Bok Choy/ Sweet Savory Red Miso Broth

how to ROCK the halibut in your freezer
ROCK: (urban dictionary) to use. to make do with. usually to great effect. 

Frozen fish has a new fan, me! We live in Southern California, we can walk to the docks where fresh fish arrives by the hour. Our local markets have fish that is flown in daily. Why in the world would I buy frozen fish? I don’t. I haven’t. Until now. The Alaska Fish Taco Recipe Contest inspired me to create a fish taco recipe using halibut & king crab. The problem: no fresh halibut available. The solution: wild Alaskan halibut steaks – wild, pure, all natural, and FROZEN.

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A Special Jelly Bean “Wreath”

A Special Jelly Bean “Wreath”
Reagan Jelly Beans on Lincoln China
In Honor of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration

Dear Mr. Reagan:
Thank you for your eternal optimism, strong yet gracious leadership,
your championship of freedom, and unwavering love for and belief in our Country.
Happy 100th birthday Sir!
Yours Sincerely,
Lori Lynn

In 1861 Mary Todd Lincoln commissioned the Lincoln White House China of white porcelain with a scalloped edge, a hand painted solferino (red-purple) rim and gold rope border. The center is decorated with clouds, an American bald eagle with wings outstretched, holding arrows and olive branches in its talons, standing atop a shield with stars and stripes, with a banner bearing the national motto “E Pluribus Unum.”

E PLURIBUS UNUM – Out of many, one.

Ronald Reagan’s favorite presidents were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Calvin Coolidge. He disliked liver, Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes. His favorite candy was jelly beans, his favorite flavor jelly bean – licorice. He loved the soundtrack from The Sound of Music and Rudyard Kipling’s If. In addition to jelly beans, he was very fond of chocolate cake, macaroni & cheese, meatloaf, eggplant lasagna, and split pea soup.

During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Jelly Belly beans were served in the Oval Office and on Air Force One. A holder was designed for the plane so the jar of Jelly Belly beans would not spill during turbulence.

In 2006 my mother and I visited The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library in Simi Valley, California. Here we are listening to an audio tour in the hangar of the Reagan Era Air Force One. We were delighted to be able to tour the plane, and guess what, there is a jar of jelly beans there on Mr. Reagan’s desk!

The Red, White, and Blue

The blueberry flavor was created for Ronald Reagan’s presidential inauguration in 1981 so red, white, and blue jelly beans could be consumed during the festivities. The first jelly bean was created by an unknown American candy maker in the 1800s. An 1861 advertisement recommended sending jelly beans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War.

“All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” 1989
“We the People tell the government what to do, it doesn’t tell us.” 1989
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.” 1982
“Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.” 1985
Ronald Reagan

Today we honor and celebrate the life of a great American.

My Patriotic Presidential Posts:
I recreate one of the dishes served at the Fourteenth Annual Lincoln Dinner in 1900 here:
Lincoln Dinner at Delmonico’s, February 12, 1900
I cook a special birthday meal for President Lincoln here:
Happy 200th Birthday Mr. President
A recreation of the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon at Statuary Hall here:
Our Inaugural Meal

Credits: Fun Facts About Jelly Belly and Ronald Reagan Facts, Presidential Library

What are you wearing today?

Heart Healthy Spinach Salad
Tahitian Lime  Vanilla Vinaigrette
Honey Mandarin, Avocado, Roasted Almond

What are you wearing on Feb. 4?
We, the Ladies of Alpha Phi, suggest something red!
Feb. 4 is National Wear Red Day

Please join us along with the Alpha Phi Foundation, the American Heart Association, and other fine organizations in supporting women’s heart health.

Beginning on National Wear Red Day—Friday, February 4, 2011—millions will help spread the critical message that “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear—It’s the #1 Killer of Women.” The Red Dress, the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness, was created by The Heart Truth in 2002 to deliver an urgent wakeup call to American women. Everyone can participate in the national movement by wearing their favorite red dress, shirt, tie, Red Dress Pin, or another red accessory.

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seafood taco contest

midnight sun halibut & crab tacos

crispy rice paper wrapped alaskan halibut with leek and dijon mustard
king crab/ meyer lemon garlic mayonnaise
grilled meyer lemon wheel/ shaved fennel/ fresh dill

Lori Lynn & Pooch “Mrs. Cooper”
Homer, Alaska 1993

Alaska Seafood is holding The 1st Ever Wild Alaska Fish Taco Recipe Contest. And since I am a fan of (1) Alaska, (2) the hosts, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, (3) fish tacos, (4) recipe contests, (5) sustainable fishing practices, and last but not least (6) food trucks – this challenge had my name all over it!

Living in Southern California we periodically venture south of the border, so we’ve been enjoying Baja fish tacos for decades. My original Wild Alaska Fish Taco, however, was to be quite different from its southern cousin. When creating the recipe, my first decision was to determine what ingredients NOT to use:

  • no cabbage
  • no cilantro
  • no white onion
  • no lime
  • no salsa
  • no avocado

The second decision was to choose which Alaska seafood to include – salmon, crab, cod, pollack, halibut, sole, black cod, spot prawns, weathervane scallops, or rockfish? I chose the mighty halibut from the halibut fishing capital of the world and the king of all shellfish – king crab.

The next step was to create a flavor profile with ingredients that complement the halibut and crabmeat:

halibut + dill + leek + dijon + fennel + meyer lemon + king crab + mayonnaise + garlic

The last step was to decide how to incorporate all these fabulous flavors and textures in one glorious tortilla while still being recognizable as distant relative of the famous Baja fish taco. To get a light crispy crust the halibut is wrapped in rice paper then fried. The rice paper wrapper also marries the leek and dijon to the piece of fish. This hot crispy “fish stick” contrasts with the cool sweet crabmeat, the fresh crunchy fennel, and the smokey citrus notes from the grilled meyer lemon. The rich garlicky lemon mayonnaise and bright fresh dill are the finishing touches. Just slice, mix, grill, sauté, and assemble – no special technique required to create the one-of-a-kind halibut & crab taco, a tribute to the land of the midnight sun!

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a persimmon dreamsicle

a   p e r s i m m o n    d r e a m s i c l e

a    f r o z e n    p e r s i m m o n    i n t e r m e z z o

Last month Sally and I had the opportunity to harvest a ton of hachiya persimmons at the home of our friend Alice. This fabulous fruit is ready to pick here October through December only. And as Alice said, “if we didn’t take ’em, the birds surely would.” That was on December 8. Later that week, with the ripe ones, I made a persimmon bread pudding with a bourbon creme anglaise. Sally made a terrific ultra-moist persimmon steam pudding.

As the individual fruits ripen in their own sweet time, we had a bounty of the fruit for a month. When each fruit became extremely soft, I would squeeze out the pulp and save it, well-covered, in the refrigerator until I had enough to make a batch of frozen persimmon “intermezzos.” One batch was turned into a refreshing dessert reminiscent of the orange creamsicles we got from the Good Humor man as kids.

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